Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has been cleared for contact as he continues his recovery from a fractured foot, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said on Thursday.
Olshey added that center Jusuf Nurkic is also making progress from a broken wrist, and that both players will be re-evaluated next week following the All-Star break.
The Blazers (21-14) have managed to stay the course without their two starters, with Gary Trent Jr. filling in admirably for McCollum as the starting backcourt-mate of Damian Lillard.
McCollum was spotted working on his ballhandling while in a walking boot before a Blazers game last month. He even managed to put up a jumper on one foot.
Clearly, the boot has been removed and he can now work his way back into game shape.
McCollum was averaging a career-high 26.7 points in 13 games before the injury.
